Ghouls
|rarity = Common |casting_cost = |upkeep_cost = per turn |research_cost = |num_figures = |moves = |melee = |defense = |resist = |hits = |abilities = +10% To Hit Create Undead Poison Immunity Illusions Immunity Cold Immunity Death Immunity Poison Touch 1 }} Ghouls are a type of Fantastic Unit featured in Master of Magic. Ghouls belong to the Realm, and may be summoned using a Summoning Spell of the same name. As far as their statistics go, Ghouls are roughly on par with mid-level Normal Units. Their Melee Attack is rather average, though it is backed-up by a Poison Damage attack which can inflict some extra damage. However, Ghouls that manage to kill an enemy unit in combat, or severely injure one before in is killed by something else, will possibly bring that unit back as Undead under their master's control. Like most other creatures from the Realm, Ghouls are also immune to many different Unit Curses and Special Attacks. On the other hand, they do not heal at all. The Fantastic Unit Physical Description Ghouls are creepy-looking humanoid creatures, with green skin and a gnarled face. They are covered in what appears to be boils, and have sharp claws at the ends of their fingers. In Arabian folklore, Ghouls were known for digging through graveyards and eating the corpses. They are sometimes referred to as Undead beings, but at other times are simply monsters driven by their hunger for rotting flesh. Ghouls are a comprised of up to of these creatures. Attack Properties The Ghouls' Melee Attack is not very remarkable, roughly on par with mid-tier Normal Units. Each Ghoul's attack has a strength of which, coupled with the unit's inherent To Hit bonus of , results in an average "raw" output of . The Ghouls also possess a Poison Touch attack with a strength of 1'''. For each attacking '''Ghoul, the enemy unit must make one check, or suffer extra point of . As a Touch Attack, this takes place simultaneously with the delivery of Melee Damage. Against low-Resistance units, it may even end up causing more than the Ghouls' Melee Attack! Ghouls also have a signature ability that is unique to this unit: Create Undead. Any they deal with their melee- or poison attack is marked on the opponent as "Create Undead Damage". This has the potential of raising slain units after the battle as Undead under the control of the Ghouls' owner, as described below. Defensive Properties Ghouls possess a low Defense score of , allowing them to block an average of only about points from Conventional Damage attacks. This renders the unit quite vulnerable to most attacks. Ghouls are hardier than the average Normal Unit though, possessing per Ghoul. This gives the unit some survivability, requiring a total of points of to wipe it out entirely. Like most other creatures from the Realm, Ghouls do possess a wide variety of immunities: Poison Immunity, Illusions Immunity, Cold Immunity and Death Immunity. These render them completely invulnerable to a fair amount of Unit Curses and Special Damage attacks. However, in situations where they do not apply, the Ghouls have a rather average Resistance score of only , which will not protect the unit very well from ill effects. Create Undead The Ghouls' most interesting property is their ability to Create Undead - raising dead enemy units to serve the Ghouls' master after the battle is over. This occurs if the majority of the inflicted on the deceased enemy were of the "Create Undead" type, which is typically an attribute of Life Stealing Damage - although its name was derived from the Ghouls' ability. To be more precise, the slain unit can come back as Undead if the "Create Undead" damage it suffered was at least as much as any regular , and more than any Irreversible Damage, a third type designed to stop destroyed units from being raised from the dead by any means. The only other criteria are that the Ghouls' army must win the battle, and that it needs to have space for a new unit. Undead may not be created by a defeated or withdrawing force, nor can their creation break the 9 unit stack limit on overland tiles. Both the Ghouls' Melee- and Poison Damage counts as "Create Undead" damage. However, the ability does not actually convert all of their . In fact, it only applies to these two types. For instance, if the Ghouls are enchanted with , any resulting will not be "Create Undead" type. In addition, units with Magic Immunity can't be dealt this kind of at all - it will always be changed back to regular instead. Furthermore, Heroes, units, and creatures called in via Combat Summoning Spells will also never rise as Undead, regardless of the types and amounts of Damage Points they took. In terms of their statistics, units raised as Undead are identical to the units that were killed, except that they now have the "Undead" property - which grants them several immunities, but associates them with the Realm, and prevents them from healing naturally, being healed by spells, or gaining any further Experience Levels (although they do get to keep any that they had already gained). The unit comes under the command of the Ghouls' owner, and its Upkeep Cost also changes. If it was a Normal Unit, it will no longer have any, but if it was a Fantastic Unit, it will instead have +50% more. Other Properties Ghouls move at a rate of , both on the overland map and during battle. This makes them quite slow compared to most other Fantastic Units. As with most other creatures, Ghouls do not heal naturally, nor can they be healed by magic or abilities, with the sole exception being the spell. Despite the logical assumption, Ghouls are not considered to be Undead themselves (as the game defines this term) - they are simply Fantastic Creatures of the Realm. Basic Tactics Although Ghouls are quite threatening to low/mid-level Normal Units, they lack the staying power to do a lot of damage. Therefore, like most other creatures, they are best used in large droves. Two or more Ghouls could gang up on a strong enemy unit, subduing it and subsequently raising it from the dead to serve their master. This can sometimes also be used to target units of a specific type that have a unique or desirable ability, such as Giant Spiders or a Guardian Spirits. However, it's important to remember that an army already containing 9 units may not create any Undead unless it also loses at least one unit during the battle. Enemy Ghouls Ghouls are among the more abundant neutral enemy units in the game. They are often found in various Encounter Zones such as Ancient Temples, Fallen Temples, Ruins, and occasionally Towers of Wizardry. They will commonly appear in large groups of at least 3 units, and may be accompanied by other creatures of any tier. Ghouls are not too dangerous on their own, though their Poison Touch attack can do some nasty damage to low/mid-tier Normal Units. Ability Overview +10% To Hit * This unit has an extra to hit its target with every die of its Attack Rolls. This improves its statistical chance to inflict more with each attack it makes. Poison Touch 1 * Whenever this unit makes a Melee Attack or Counter Attack against an enemy unit, it first delivers a Poison Damage Touch Attack with a strength of 1'''. * The target unit must make a single Resistance roll for each '''Ghoul , and will suffer point of for every roll it fails. * This is a Touch Attack, which means it takes place simultaneously with combat. Therefore, any that are destroyed by this power will still be able to deal their Melee Damage. * This attack does nothing against targets possessing the Poison Immunity ability. Create Undead * All Melee- and Poison Damage dealt by this unit is of the "Create Undead" type. Any destoyed unit that has suffered at least as much of this as regular , and more of it than Irreversible Damage, may return as an Undead unit after the battle under the control of the player that destroyed it. This can only occur if that player won the battle, and has room left in their army. * Heroes, creatures, Combat Summons, and units possessing Magic Immunity are impervious to this effect. Poison Immunity * This unit cannot be hurt by Poison Damage. It will automatically pass any roll to avert such damage. Illusions Immunity * Illusion Damage inflicted on this unit does not bypass its . The unit gets to make its Defense Rolls as normal. * During combat, this unit will spot all enemy Invisible creatures regardless of how close they are. Those creatures become semi-visible on the screen, and may be targeted by spells like any other unit. * This unit may not be targeted by , , , or . Cold Immunity * This unit is considered to have a Defense score of against Cold Damage. It will almost never be hurt by the and spells. Death Immunity * This unit will not be affected by most spells and abilities associated with the Realm. The Summoning Spell Usage Ghouls may only be cast overland, for the base Casting Cost of . Upon successfully casting the spell, the new Ghouls unit will appear in the Town currently containing the Wizard's Summoning Circle, with full Movement Allowance, and may move and/or attack immediately as necessary. To keep the Ghouls in play, its controller is required to pay an Upkeep Cost of per turn. This is drawn automatically from the caster's pool at the beginning of each turn while the unit exists. Failure to pay this Upkeep due to lack of will lead to the Ghouls immediately disappearing, along with any Unit Enchantments currently affecting it. However, this upkeep is for the unit, not for the spell: Summoning Spells can not be dispelled by the enemy once cast. Naturally though, if the unit is destroyed, then it is gone from the world entirely, and there is no further need to pay its Upkeep Cost. Units summoned on the overland map may also be dismissed manually from their unit statistics window the same way as any other overland unit (during their controller's turn, while not in combat). Acquisition As a Common Spell of the Realm, Ghouls may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least Spellbook. With none, the spell can naturally not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it. The base chance for Ghouls to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 30% (with book), which gradually increases with the amount of Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of , although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master, and/or Conjurer Retorts; or a bookshelf containing or more. Ghouls may also be selected as a starting spell by any Wizard with at least books. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins.